Mama's Little Snowflake
by TwistedTelepath
Summary: Due to a guilty conscience, Elsa decides to adopt a child, a 7-year-old girl named Freja. She knows this young girl holds the key to a troubling new world—parenthood. {Post-Frozen; Motherly Elsa}
1. Prologue

**A/N: New story! Uh, backstory on this idea? I just thought of it today, playing with my little brother. Plus, I was wondering what would happen if Elsa had a daughter. Weird, huh?**

**So, I'll try to update as soon as I can, I swear! I just get busy sometimes if I don't have things prepared ahead of time.**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns Frozen.**

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~ Prologue ~

A month ago, Elsa would have been a wild, nervous wreck. Untamed, raging emotions would have whirled through her, engulfing her in fear and worry, letting darkness cloud her head and control her. Her power would have been all over the place, the whole hall in ice and snow, freezing all its inhabitants except her.

But right now, a simple morning wasn't much to fret about... yet.

Elsa sat in the palace library, seated in the front of a long, square, mahogany table, her hands folded on her lap. Since the thawing of Arendelle, she had been on-edge about what some of her subjects might have thought of her as a ruler. She thought some may have seemed hypocritical of a queen who froze the land in eternal winter and had abilities beyond her own knowledge. She knew others were simply glad to have a figure of leadership again, after the travesty of the death of the former king and queen. She knew she couldn't win the people over so easy, so she had to become patient and see what her reign had in store for her.

Something that didn't bother her was that she finally had access to her sister again after a long period of isolation and loneliness. Anna, of course, was jubilant to have her elder sister back in her life, and cherished every moment she had with her, as did Elsa... but what flurried the queen's emotions was her younger sister's relationship with her mountain lover, Kristoff.

Elsa knew she was in debt to Kristoff, for both protecting her sister and the kingdom along their journey to help her, but it was the way they were so intimate that made her wince. She was Anna's only parental figure, but she wasn't sure when to put her foot down. Or could it be that Elsa yearned for a love of her own?

Nah...

A knock echoed through the room. Speaking of Anna, she stood by the library doors, looking awfully smug. A wide smirk played on her lips and her arms folded tightly against her chest.

"Are you ready?" She almost exclaimed the words, but Elsa could understand why she was so excited. Today, the two of they were paying homage to the orphanage in town, since the owner, Johanna Hagen, had said the children were ever so eager to meet their queen and princess. Maybe the children just wanted to poke around with Elsa's powers.

"Yes. Let's go."

Elsa got up with those words and followed her eccentric sister down the stairs hastily. In the foyer, a band of six guards were waiting. The eight of them proceeded outside into the warmth of the July sunlight. Since the orphanage wasn't too far away, they walked on foot in the sun.

Anna, who appeared buoyant as always, looked like she and no problem with the heat.

Elsa, on the other hand, was practically dying under the hot sun, even with a parasol. It was out of her nature. She enjoyed the chill of winter, and rather have been catching pneumonia than heatstroke. The five-minute walk seemed like a journey through the desert for her, and she couldn't wait for it to finish.

The guards, which barricaded them in a box halted. Elsa looked up to see the brick building, its sign dull and darkened, the windows of all five floors tainted, and not a single speck of happiness anywhere. She squeezed through the gap in the two guards in the front, about to knock, but the old wooden door swung open.

A short, middle-aged woman with dark auburn hair tied up in a knot, waves of wrinkles on her face, bleary brown eyes, and bony hands greeted her with a smile and a curtsey.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness." she said, her eyes flickering between Elsa and Anna. "It's an honor to see that you accepted my invitation."

"The pleasure is all ours," said Elsa, smiling as brightly as she could in the tedious sun. "Miss Hagen, I presume?"

"Yes." Johanna's eyes widened. "Goodness, you look aghast out here! Please do come in." She glided to the side as the guards filed in. Elsa looped her arm with Anna and they came in the place, the smell of hazelnut welcoming them.

The inside was far more cheery than the outside. The walls had paints of different colors—blue, red, green, yellow, and purple—and dark blue ribbons steamed on them. Books stacked on tall bookshelves, crayons scattered on the floors, and papers as well. Children, small and tall, were playing with each other with dolls and stick figures and balls. As if planned, all of them rose up. The girls curtseyed and the boys bowed to grace both the queen and her younger sister.

"Such polite children." Elsa commented to Johanna.

"Well, they know how to best address royalty, Your Majesty." Johanna said, her hands clasped together. She made her way towards the children, a total of thirty-three in the room alone. "Now, all of you treat the queen and princess with chivalry, understood?"

"Yes, Miss Hagen." they said as one.

The woman turned back to them. "I'll be up in my office, if you need me." She curtsied again, then dashed off up the creaky steps.

When a door shut upstairs, the children beamed with conversation, throwing questions at mainly Elsa. A few girls stole Anna away to play dolls with them, and by the looks of it, she didn't mind at all. Elsa knelt down to hear their questions.

"Is is true, Queen Elsa? Do you have icy powers?" a boy asked excitedly.

"Can you freeze anything?"

"Can you make it snow in here? Please?"

"I want to make a snowman!"

Elsa laughed, admiring the curiosity of the children. She answered a few simple questions, made a few snowflakes dance around for fun, and colored with the children, feeling more in-touch with them than the adults of her kingdom, since their minds were so creative and oblivious.

Hours must have passed until Elsa noticed the one girl in the corner. This girl watched the others play, her beautiful sapphire full of sadness and desperation. A frown twitched on her thin lips. Her blonde hair was held back in a bun, a row of bangs covering her forehead. Her outfit was modest—a purple dress with a lavender blouse. For one moment, she met eyes with Elsa, and a chill ran through her. This girl reminded her of her younger self.

"Don't bother with Freja, Your Majesty," a boy named John scowled. "She likes to be alone. She doesn't play with anyone."

"She's so stupid," a girl named Rebecka laughed. "All she does is whimper and sob like a little puppy."

Elsa's face hardened as the children made fun of this poor girl. It was terrible that even in a place where you'd think children would stand as one really alienated one of their own. She ignored the scornful children and beckoned Anna over. The room fell silent as the two made their way to Freja.

Freja's eyes stared at the two. She backed up cautiously, looking as if on the verge of tears. She stammered, then curtseyed.

"Y-Y-Your Majesty." she sputtered nervously. "Princess."

Elsa smiled and nudged Anna, knowing she was good with children. Anna came closer to the girl, touching her pale arm in comfort.

"It's okay," Anna soothed, compassion running deep in her gaze. "What's your name, beautiful?"

"F-F-Freja," she answered, biting her lip. "Freja Hansen."

"That's a wonderful name." Elsa pitched in. "Why are you so sad?"

"The other kids... they– they don't play with me. They never do. They're horrible. They leave me alone, pretending I don't exist. All I want is– is a friend. Someone who'll be nice to me and love me." Her blue eyes dripped of tears as a field of scornful whispers sounded off in the background.

Elsa and Anna shared a glance. Both of them well knew of the feeling of loneliness and abandonment. What made things worse was that this girl didn't have a mother or father to comfort her in her time of need. Just the thin, dirty blue blanket in her hand.

"I'll play with you," Anna suggested. She perked up and poked Freja in her belly. She tickled her, and she burst out in laughter. She dropped to the floor laughing. Anna laughed along with her. Elsa watched in admiration. She would join in, too, but she feared she might freeze poor little Freja. Instead, she thought of a different act of kindness at mind. But she didn't know if she was ready for it.

_You can't just leave her here,_ her mind said.

"I'll be right back." she told the hysterical two.

Two guards followed her upstairs to Johanna's office. The woman looked frightened at the stern look on Elsa's face.

"May I help you, my queen?" she asked shakily.

"Yes." Elsa answered, taking a seat on the edge of a wooden chair. She fought her inner dark thoughts about the downsides of the statement she was about to make. She held her breath, ready to confirm it. "I would like to adopt Freja Hansen."

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**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	2. Kindred Spirit

**A/N: Mysteryfaith, thanks for the correction, I can't seem to get my illnesses right.**

**And thank you to all of you for following and favouriting my story! Thanks for the love, and here's chapter one. I might update every few days or so, depending on what's going on.**

**This story is now rated T for future reasons.**

**Disclaimer: Frozen is all Disney's, but I have rights to little Freja.**

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~ Chapter One ~

**Kindred Spirit **

Once Elsa read and signed every paper and Johanna went over Freja's history, Elsa was her legal guardian. The strange and fragile girl who sat in the corner of a room was now hers. Out of the questions and thoughts she had, she decided upon one to fixate on:

What had she done?

She knew she felt sorry for the girl—no family, no visible friends, all alone—but could she really put herself in the position to give this girl a loving mother and a warm home? Sure, she was mature to handle a kingdom, but a kingdom was different from a child... but they had their similarities.

Both Arendelle and Freja needed Elsa's affection and presence. They needed her care and patience, her loyalty and strength. Could she really juggle both of these things to divide herself to serve both their needs, or would she give up or fail in the process, giving one more attention than the other?

_I need to try,_ Elsa told herself. _There's no backing out.  
_

"I'm your Aunt Anna," introduced Anna on the way back to the castle. Freja walked in the middle of the two for safety reasons. "Don't worry, I'll be a fun aunt. You're going to have _lots_ of fun with me."

"Really?" Freja asked, her voice still trembling with meekness.

Anna nodded. "We'll play games! And we'll eat all the chocolate you want. We have a snowman named Olaf who I'm sure you'll get along with. I swear, we are going to play... Every. Single. Day." She held Freja's hand, but winced. "Wow, you're so cold!"

"My body acts that way sometimes..." she mumbled, rubbing her hands together. Elsa glanced down at her, then put on a smile. "Why did you adopt me, Queen Elsa?" Freja proposed so abruptly.

"I, uh..." Elsa tried to think of what to say. 'I felt pity for you' didn't appeal as a correct answer, but surely she could work around it. "You looked so afraid and alone in that place. You were sad. I didn't like to see you so sad, so I decided to do the right thing and give you a home, a family more importantly."

"Our family isn't a typical family, though," Anna added, "You don't have any brothers or sisters, or a father—yet, anyway. You have Elsa and I, an uncle,"—Elsa shuddered a little when she said 'uncle'—"Olaf, who I mentioned, and a reindeer."

Freja's eyebrow cocked up when Anna described all this to her, but she went along with it. The rest of their trip was in silence until they approached the castle gates. Elsa heard Freja intake a gasp as they opened. The guards slid to the side. The sisters made their way into the courtyard, Elsa holding onto Freja's shoulder to guide her.

Once inside, Elsa felt relieved from the heat. She put away her parasol, then crouched down to meet Freja, whose eyes were wide with what she couldn't tell was fright or joy. She smiles at the young girl, holding both her pale hands, feeling no coldness like Anna had felt. They were just right.

"Welcome home," Elsa said. Freja sported a smile finally, her eyes dancing around the foyer. "Come on, I'll show you around." Elsa, to her own surprise and Freja's, lifted Freja up as she walked up the spiral stairwell.

The little tour ushered by Elsa almost lasted forever. She showed Freja every nook and cranny of the castle, from the bedrooms to the halls to the washrooms. The last stop on their trip was the throne room, where Elsa granted Freja permission to sit on her luxurious throne. She laid back in it, closing her eyes, smiling.

"It's cozy," she remarked.

Elsa giggled lowly. "Do you want to freshen up before dinner, Freja?"

"What do you mean?"

Elsa came closer to her. "I mean, do you want to take a bath and out on some clean clothes?" Freja consulted herself for a bit, then nodded reluctantly.

***~.-^-.~***

Freja looked as Elsa poured warm water into the bath, as if it was an alien. She felt it, and the skeptic look on her face dissolved into a fuzzy smile. Soap solution was beginning to reveal itself. Freja asked if Elsa would turn around as she stripped off her clothes.

When she finished, judging from the pile of purple and white on the floor and the splash and shift of water, Elsa turned back around. Freja looked vulnerable in the water, looking like Elsa had to tell her what to do. She didn't dare ask about the faint lines on the child's arms and legs. Soon, Freja had a wet cloth in her hand and began washing. Elsa wasn't sure if she was being creepy by staring at the child as she cleaned up. She decided that it wouldn't kill her to help her wash her hair.

Elsa removed her gloves carefully and then poured water unto Freja's head. She rubbed in soapy liquid into her blonde hair, cautious not to hurt her. As the girl's head overflowing with soapy foam, Elsa poured water on it again, making every blonde strand hang in Freja's face. They laughed.

After Freja cleaned up, Elsa showed her to her own room, since she hadn't made any preparations for Freja's arrival, obviously. She rummaged through her old clothes until she found an outfit to suit Freja—her old dark blue dress with black patterns and matching blue jacket. She dried Freja's soft hair with a cloth as braided it, topping it with a headband. She turned the girl over to her face her, now seeing that she looked exactly how she looked as a little girl.

She knew she didn't have to lend her any of her old clothes, since she had been toting her own baggage of approximately four outfits, but she felt that Freja would look nice in this.

"Beautiful," Elsa spoke, clasping her hands together.

Freja looked down at her hands, then up at Elsa. "Thank you, Mis– Queen Elsa."

"Just Elsa is fine."

Freja shuddered, but finally found the courage to say, "Thank you... Elsa."

Elsa showed Freja down to the Great Hall, where Anna sat at the table along with Kristoff. It looked like supper was just brought out, but Anna was already helping herself. The mountain man looked fazed by the young girl accompanying her, but Elsa simply showed Freja to her seat, which was next to her. Elsa seated herself.

"I forgot to tell you," Anna told Kristoff, holding her spoon to her mouth. "That's Freja, Elsa's new daughter." She put the spoon in her mouth.

Kristoff's eyes went wide. "New... daughter?"

"_Adoptive_ daughter." she clarified when she swallowed.

Freja looked fearful of Kristoff as he examined her. She gazed at Elsa longingly, maybe hoping she could do something to make him stop. The air seemed cold for a few minutes until Elsa spoke.

"She's very sensitive, Kristoff," she said, "she'd like it if you wouldn't look at her that way."

Kristoff dropped his look at the queen's command. He put on a smirk, his stare now friendlier. "How old are you, Freja?"

"... Seven. I just turned seven." she said humbly. Her eyes looked at the table, but her voice was still addressing him. "H-how old are you?"

Kristoff chuckled at her attempt to make conversation. She smiled a little. "I'm twenty-one."

Freja didn't look concerned over his age, she just played with her braid. "Is it true... that you and Princess Anna are... in love? That's what the girls talk about back at Miss Johanna's. They say that one day, you guys are gonna get married and make lots of babies."

Elsa didn't know if the situation was horrific or amusing, seeing that they were just children and they didn't know better than to talk about making babies. She saw that Kristoff could relate to this, from the absentminded look on his face.

"Uh... yes. Yes we are in love. But, uh, I don't know about marriage and... babies..." 'Babies' came out like a foreign word.

From the disoriented expression she wore, Freja seemed to struggle and fall under pressure with what to ask and what to say. She kept quiet for the rest of the meal, eating bread with little bites and drinking half of her water. She didn't touch her soup or her meat. Freja asked to be excused, and Elsa told her she could retire to Elsa's quarters.

"She's cute," Anna said, setting her dish to the side.

"Do you think I threw her off?" asked Kristoff.

Elsa shook her head. "She just needs time to adjust."

***~.-^-.~***

Stomach full and ready for bed, Elsa walked sluggishly to her bedroom, opening her mouth to make a yawn with no sound. She rubbed her eyes, feeling that her vision was somewhat blurry from being sleep-deprived for the whole week, so she needed to hurry before she collapsed. But when she opened her room door, she had a whole new reason to collapse.

There was Freja, in the middle of the room, moving her hands around gracefully, little brushes of wind flowing past her, and small snowflakes sprinkling down on her from a small cloud above. Her usually solemn and shy face beamed with happiness and eagerness. She looked up at Elsa, then gasped, making the snow cease.

They had more in common than just looks.

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**Let's just say, Freja has a lot of secrets.**

**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	3. The Basic Blueprint

**A/N: Thank you, everyone, again for your kindness and reviews, they are well-appreciated.**

**Amaryllis—One, for the record, I adore your name. Two, I usually don't do something so literally or coincidental, but seeing that Elsa's powers weren't fully explained in Frozen, I was hoping to give some made-up background. So basically, Elsa and Freja are going to bond through this and attempt to go further with it, if that makes sense, since I can't explain it for the sake of spoilers.**

**HMZ—Hmm... Interesting... You're on to something, sir.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, clearly.**

**Oh and please people, do not be confused with the Freja of this story and the Freja of The Legend of the Rune Factory's Freja of "Not Like The Rest." It's a HUGE coincidence, honestly. Our stories have different plots, or at least mine's going to go into a different subplot soon.**

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~ Chapter Two ~

**The Basic Blueprint**

Elsa's words refused to come out of her mouth, she so was left to gawk like an idiot. She put the collected facts together—cold hands, pale skin, blonde hair with dark eyebrows, constant fragility. She must've been blindsided not to see this coming. This little girl possessed powers like hers, and this gave her a little nudge of reassurance, seeing that she wasn't alone in her struggles, her fears, and her prowess. Before her was a surreal answer to her prayers in the form of a child.

Perhaps it was an omen?

"P-please don't tell anyone!" Freja implored, her hands becoming folded as she dropped down on her knees. Tears accumulated in her eyes, gushing down her pale but rosy cheeks. She shook her joined hands wildly. "I couldn't tell anyone! They couldn't know! They would send me away, on the streets! They already thought I was a freak!"

Elsa quelled Freja, kneeling down with her, holding her hands. She hushed her constantly wiping the tears in her eyes with the fabric of her gloves. Freja leaned into her, resting her head on Elsa's chest. She abandoned her gloves to caress her fingers through Freja's hair. The floor of Elsa's chambers started to break out in ice, but the more Elsa comforted Freja, the more adjourned it became. It later fractured and vanished.

"I won't tell anyone," eased Elsa, shutting her eyes. "You're going to be okay, sweetie, do you hear me? No one will know. This is just between you and me." Freja sniffled, exhaling a sharp, hazy breath. There was so much wavering emotions inside this one adolescent. It didn't seem healthy. "I just have one question. Can you answer it?"

Freja sighed a bit more, then nodded.

"How do you control it?"

"I-I control it by holding my feelings on something else... I know it's not good for me, but it balances me out..."

"Honey, you don't have to hurt yourself to maintain your power," Elsa said, eyes still on the scars on Freja's arms. "I can show you other ways, but you have to promise me that you won't harm yourself again."

Freja looked bewildered by her words. "You're talking about these?" She ran her fingers along the slashing scars. Elsa nodded stiffly. "I didn't do these. I meant I think about something that will take my mind off it. It seems to work. I think about..." She silenced herself, not revealing her secret.

Elsa paused. "Then... who did that to you?"

"I-I can't talk about that right now," she stammered, that intense, fearful gleam in her eyes. "Can I go to sleep? I have on my nightgown."

Elsa examined the tainted white, long-sleeved dress Freja had on. It was simple, reaching to her knees, with thread hanging loose from the hem. Elsa nodded, expecting her to climb into her bed, since there was space for two. But instead, Freja took a sheet from her baggage and spread it on the floor, then cuddled with it.

"Sleep in my bed," Elsa called.

Freja looked up from the floor. "Are you sure? Is– Is that allowed?"

"It is when you don't have your own bed yet. You're not sleeping on the floor like an animal."

Without words, Freja came up from the sheets and climbed on Elsa's bed. The queen shifted over so she had room. Freja laid her head on the pillow slowly, then held herself as she closed her eyes. Elsa brought over the blankets to cover both of them, then drifted in a peaceful sleep.

***~.-^-.~***

In Elsa's subconscious, she received a cluster of illusions. In one part of her dream, a long, snakelike belt coiled up on abused brown floor broads, sloshed blotches of crimson blood staining the leather. Another part showed a tall silhouette of a curvy shape in a garden, dawned with variants of blossoms and flowers of hundreds of hues, but the vision went by too quickly to fully describe them. In the last mirage, she saw an older Freja for a brief moment, her hair cascading down her back like a golden waterfall, eyes not showing one ounce of fear, and her thin lips in the form of a smile.

By the time she woke up from this broken sleep, rich yellow sunlight poured into the room through her window, the shadow of the window's frame casted on the luscious, velvet carpet. Freja was still asleep in her arms, wisps of her hair dancing in her face, elevated by her breathing. She carefully left her to sleep and tried as quietly as possible to escape the room without waking her, but soon, Freja woke up with a soft yawn.

"Good morning," she said, almost sounding hushed, stretching her short arms up.

"Did you sleep well?" Elsa asked over her shoulder, fixing her unkempt hair.

"Mhmm."

"Better than sleeping on the _floor_?"

"Mhmm." This 'mhmm' sounded more wistful than the other. Elsa finished brushing her hair and came over to Freja, sitting in front of her. "Did you sleep well, Queen Elsa?"

Elsa wanted to correct her on the titles again, but knowing she had to give her time to adapt to her new life. She probably wouldn't start calling her just 'Elsa' for a while, let alone 'Mama' or 'Mommy.' She chose not to tell Freja about her complex dream, but to supply, "Yes I did. Thank you, Freja."

Freja smiled and went to put away the tarnished sheet on the floor inside her bag. Elsa watched her take out a dress made up of thin purple fabric and long sleeves, strikingly similar to the dress she had on yesterday but cleaner.

"Can you show me to the bathroom, again?" she requested.

Elsa gestured to the small room towards the corner of the bedroom chamber. "There's one here. Come, I'll help you."

"No, it's okay. You don't need to do that."

Elsa's smile faltered slightly. "Freja, I'm here to help you." she told her tenderly. Freja didn't look like she understood. Elsa took the clothes from the girl's hands and went down to her level, so she could talk to her face to face. "I know it seems strange, being in this new place with new people, but you have to know that you're not own your own anymore. You have me and a castle full of people to assist you with anything you need."

Freja nodded obediently and took Elsa's hand as she escorted her to the washroom.

***~.-^-.~***

In one hour and five minutes, both Elsa and Freja had cleaned up for the morning and were in the Great Hall. Freja had some breakfast pastries to nibble on along with a teacup of hot chocolate that would hopefully take care of her bone-thin state. Elsa sat by her, nursing a cup of tea when Kai approached her.

"Your Majesty, Miss Hagen insists she gave Freja's medical forms along with her basic information." Elsa made a face when Kai said this. She had gone through all of Freja's papers, and not one of them was a medical form. "We could take her to the palace doctor so he could diagnose anything wrong with her health."

"Yes, please, I'll see to it that she's there after noon. Are Gerda and Alexandra ready to fit her?" He nodded. Elsa faced Freja. "Are you full?" she asked her. Freja nodded, wiping her mouth with cloth in her lap and rubbing her hands with it. "Kai is going to take you to be fitted so you can get some new clothes, okay? I'll see you afterward."

"Okay." Freja said.

When Kai took her hand, she tensed up, but managed to express her anxiety through breathing. The two were out of the room.

Besides those two things, Elsa still had a list of things to do. She had to reschedule the Court meeting she had later today to tomorrow, since she promised to help Freja with her powers. She had to read through Freja's background again, since she had to figure out what Freja feared to tell her. She had to organize a proper education system for her, though Gerda had volunteered to teach Freja. And despite all these things with Freja, she had to keep the kingdom _and_ Anna in line.

The joys of parenthood had apparently just begun.

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**_Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath_**


	4. Mother and Daughter Time

**A/N: Update days are now confirmed for Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Thanks for being patient, guys!**

**Disclaimer: Frozen and all of its characters belong to Disney, I just own the OCs.**

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~ Chapter Three ~

**Mother and Daughter Time**

"Elsa, what are you doing?"

Elsa drew her eyes up to meet with Anna. She lingered by the door of her bedroom, wearing a face that was expecting an answer, albeit the small, soft smile fixed on her lips. The queen was growing tiresome looking through the documents sprawled out in front of her, all regarding Freja's well-being and care. Weary she was looking over them, but she had to looks for traces of the background of the wounds on the girl's body. A possible lead to her former home before being sent to Miss Hagen's? Without a doubt, there was no information given on why these marks were there, or history on Freja's biological parents, which only perturbed Elsa even more. She felt spurts of cool energy flow through her fingers, and frost writhed on the edges of the parchment. She let go hastily, then tugged on her gloves. The papers floated in the air and safely landed on the bed's mattress.

"I'm looking over Freja's documentation," she answered with a stern face. "But what I find funny is that there's no information given on where she was found, nor her birth parents, which is strange. This morning I couldn't find any medical records. All it says here is how she acted in the orphanage, so it isn't much."

"Maybe Johanna isn't telling us the whole story..." Anna said, but Elsa wasn't sure if she was addressing her, or herself. "You know, _I _can dig up some information while you just stay here. I know how hard you've been working lately." she tempted._  
_

Elsa felt jitters letting Anna not only do her dirty work, but allowing her to intimidate a woman into passing up information that was most likely disturbing. But she had to find out whatever concerned Freja, who was her child now. As a mother, Elsa deserved to know these things. But in spite of her queenly schedule, she knew she had to make an effort to discover part of this information on her own, not relying completely on Anna.

"Just start off by asking her _why _she didn't give in the records, or why can't we see them, in the _nicest _way possible." Elsa advised slowly and clearly.

"Will do." Anna let her know. She left the room, and soon after, Elsa could hear her footsteps trampling the floors of the hall. She couldn't help but wonder what she got herself into, but knowing Anna's determined spirit, she was sure to get some answers.

Elsa stacked up the papers once again, neatly organizing them into a pile. She rose from her bed, deciding to check up on the chambermaids were doing with Freja, when the young girl herself entered the room, donning a silk skirt of deep and rich violet and a bodice of black with silver embroidery, under a lavender blouse. Black flats of smooth leather replaced her former ragged footwear. Her hair was up in a bun, a braid running on the side of her head. Elsa cupped her hands on her knees, bending down to commend her.

"You look gorgeous." complimented Elsa, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Like a princess."

Freja's bottom lip twitched. "But I'm not a princess, right?"

Elsa frowned at how much she knew of royal technicalities. Yes, anyone of the royal family could adopt a orphaned child, but this child did not possess royal blood, so they could not partake in the throne as they grew older. Since Freja was incapable of her heir, Elsa would still have to marry and conceive a child. She felt woeful nevertheless.

"No, sorry, sweetie."

"It's okay. Is there anything else you want me to do?"

"What did you do back home?" Both of them tensed up when she said, "home." Elsa didn't know what else to ask of her, since almost everything had care of, and her instruction would begin tomorrow and run on a regular schoolhouse lineup.

Freja put on a tactful face, then replied, "I would read for about two hours before I went to bed. If it was early, I'd help Miss Johanna around the building, preparing supper and making up the table."

"So, you didn't play with the other kids?"

"They wouldn't let me. I stayed by myself most of the time, trying to control it. I think it's based off of my mind rather than my emotions sometimes, so I have to think hard about concealing it." Freja looked discomposed for a while, rubbing her hands. "I almost got in trouble once. I shared a room with three other girls in the orphanage, and they were at dinner. I came up early. I made one little sneeze, catching me by surprise, then I accidentally froze the bed of the girl next to mine. I panicked and tried everything I could to thaw it. I gave up when I heard footsteps, then I went on my bed to grab my blanket. While I was rubbing the blanket's cloth against my cheek, it started to eventuate..." She furrowed her brow, rolling her tongue around. "Eventuate... evaporate- Evaporate, that's it!"

Elsa laughed at her stammering. "Well, do you want to know the secret in what you just did there?" Freja looked up, big-eyed, eager to listen. "You love your blanket, right?" She nodded. "Love is the key to thawing. If you feel love flow through you, love for anything, you can melt whatever you froze."

"Oh... So, should I try?"

"Go ahead."

Freja chewed on her lip, then swished her hands forward, white flurries twirling around her fingers, then surged out, fashioned in chilly, winter white tendrils. The wind hugged around a chair, its frost crawling up its legs like cobwebs. Soon the legs and the base were completely covered in frost and ice. As it grew, the cold spread from the legs of the chair on the floor, the ice travelling along the floor, stretching almost everywhere rapidly. Elsa locked eyes with Freja, who looked absolutely terrified. She held herself, fear about to consume her. Elsa went to her, holding her arm.

"Freja, it's okay! Ssh, ssh." she whispered as the ice went up the door in a crackling bristle. Freja started to whimper, shaking like a poor puppy. "Freja, honey, you can do it. Choose love, not fear. Love." Elsa squeezed Freja's hand, trying to ease her with her sympathy.

Freja snapped out of her fright, shaking it off. She breathed heavily, relaxing her muscles. She shut her eyes, reminiscing in her thoughts. A warm smile crossed her features later when the ice almost devoured the room. She whispered something through her hazy breath. The frost simmered down with another cracking sound, flooding down the walls. Freja was stiff, shoulders pushed back, head up. Elsa watched the room thaw, like watching it freeze backwards. It formed in the center of the room, then exploded in a burst of white sprinkles.

"You did it!" Elsa cheered, holding her by the waist.

Freja clung to her, her arms around Elsa. "Ugh... I need a cookie."

* * *

_**Happy New Year! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	5. Papa

**A/N: I'm glad everyone is thinking Freja's a bundle of cuteness and joy. There shall be more of this, and yes, we WILL find out what Anna has discovered! YAY!**

**Mr. Boar, where would I be without you? Did I fix the thing you were referring to?**

**Um, very coarse language and a disturbing dream glance into someone's past in this chapter... just another reason why this is rated T. You have been warned.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, just all my OCs. *rounds them up and hugs them***

* * *

~ Chapter Four ~

**Papa**

Freja was comfortable, sitting on Elsa's bed, nibbling on one of the oatmeal cookies that Gerda brought her. Elsa was behind her, loosing the girl's hair from its elegant bun. The delicate blonde locks fell from it one by one, and though they had split ends, they suited Freja perfectly. The queen then reached for the brush beside her to brush the mane of hair gently. She remembered how her mother used to brush her hair before bed, just like this, and now she found how calming it was to take the place as the person brushing the hair instead of the impatient and antsy little girl. Though, unlike seven-year-old Elsa, Freja was peaceful whilst eating her cookie.

"Do you want to leave it out or have me braid it?" Elsa asked.

Freja turned around, crumbs scattered around her mouth. "You can do whatever you like." she replied with a mouthful of cookie.

Elsa bit back a giggle. "I'll leave it the way it is." She got up to set the brush on her vanity. She sat back on her bed with a cloth in her hand to wipe Freja's mouth. She smiled gratefully, in spite of going back to finish off the plate. "I see you're enjoying those cookies." she mused. Freja nodded, eating the remnants of the cookie in her hand.

"The food is better here." she asserted, smiling wide. She had a beautiful smile, made up of tiny, sparkling white squares. It was a shame she didn't use it much. "Well, sometimes, at Miss Johanna's, we'd have leftover scraps of the other night's dinner, but they wouldn't taste as fresh. At times, maybe I would throw up afterwards. It was icky."

Elsa put aside the pestering cynicism that growing towards Johanna. Though the woman's actions implied deceitful motives, she couldn't think so lowly of someone in her own commonwealth.

"I promise you nothing here will be _icky_," Elsa told Freja, holding both her shoulders. "Do you want anything else before you go to bed?" Freja shook her head, erasing any signs of confections from her mouth.

Anna barged through the door, panting thickly. She hunched over to catch her breath. Elsa eyed her dubiously while tucking Freja into her side of the bed. She pressed a chilled goodnight kiss on her forehead and watched her shut her eyes.

Elsa went out into the corridor, sealing the door closed. Anna managed to talk.

"I found something," she gasped. "I had to run all the way here to tell you before I forgot."

"What took you so long? That was almost half of the day." Elsa said, creasing her brow.

"Well, after I found the information, I spent a couple of minutes hiding from Johanna... 'cause I sort of broke _in_..." Elsa sighed. "Then, while in town, I had to stop for a lunch break. Meddling is hard work, enough to work up an appetite. Oh, and then I went to go check up on Kristoff. I felt bad that he was working in the heat, but I guess it's good for business." Elsa rolled her eyes, giving her an anticipating look. As high-spirited as Anna was, sometimes Elsa thought she couldn't take a hint. "Oh! Right. I _did _find the Freja's medical forms hidden well in Johanna's desk." Anna produced two papers. Elsa took them.

"It looks like Johanna doesn't think it's important for us to know that Freja is allergic to rye. Apparently, not only does she vomit, but her skin breaks out in hives." Elsa read.

She scanned through the rest of the handwritten information, learning about Freja's asthma, blood type, and other necessities that she had no clue about. Johanna was now confirmed as not only a suspicious character, but appeared to hold a lot of secret motives as well.

"I... also found out where Freja lived before coming to Johanna's, but I'm not sure if it's where her birth parents live, either. I was hoping that we could send somebody to scope the place out, since it's too far away." Anna spoke.

"Where is it?"

"In a cabin... deep in the woods... not too far away from where you built your ice palace," explained Anna. "Someone abandoned the cabin from the looks of it, making it look like no one had lived there for ages. Johanna was camping out there with her late husband two years ago when they heard screaming. They found Freja there on the ground, unconscious. Her skin had bloody slashes and dirt all over it, but there wasn't a trace of the weapon used to beat her. When they brought her back to Arendelle to clean her up and ask her what happened, she couldn't remember... I can't recall the rest, it's all in Johanna's journal."

"You did a lot, Anna. Thank you." Elsa acknowledged her sister, hugging her with one arm. "I'll go back tomorrow and ask her about it. All of this is just to puzzling already."

As the sisters departed, Elsa climbed into bed, haunted by the image of the bleeding belt from her dream. It explained both the marks on Freja's arms and legs and the belt from her dream, but it didn't elaborate on the older version of Freja or the mystical garden belonging to whoever. Prehaps in time all would be clarified for her. All she had to focus on in the meanwhile was getting a good night's rest, without any fantasy interruptions.

She rested her head on the pillow, loosing all her tense muscles and clearing her mind of all distress and dark thoughts.

***~.-^-.~***

This time, Elsa's dream wasn't cut into bits and pieces. It was like she was really in the scenario the dream made for her.

She wasn't in the castle which she called home. The grounds were flimsy, brown wood in contrast to the white, marble floors of the Arendellian palace. Sprawled on the floor was one tanned, substantial-looking cot partnered with a hefty pillow and an abandoned blanket consisting of thin and cheap white fabric in the corner. The only furniture in the small room was a flat table by the cot, where a candle-holder resided, a faint light projecting from it. This little source of light did not, however, amplify the heat in the room. She could feel the swift winds moving through the room from drafts, maybe even a mouse-hole, but she didn't react to them, seeing that the cold didn't faze her.

The walls, unstable as they looked, had dirt stains, cobwebs, and specks of dust sticking to them. Behind her was a "door" made of worn out red (or at least she thought the dull color looked like red) satin. She wondered how satin ended up in a place like this.

Shortly, a gruff man tore through the fabric with his hand, anger plastered all over his face. He wore a pair of dark trousers, a black vest over an uncolored blouse, and sheepskin boots, hinting that he might have belonged to the ice harvesters' group. He had shoulder-length, mangled ashy blonde hair and a matching goatee, narrowed and brooding blue eyes, and a frowned mouth. His other hand pushed a small figure to the floor. This figure had no shoes on its mud-colored feet. A dirty brown dress was what it wore, with long, ripped sleeves and a tattered skirt. Its hair was long and pale blonde but mixed with specks of filth. It raised its head.

Freja.

Her crystal blue eyes were full of sorrow and there was a bruise on her left cheek. A tread of blood streamed from her nostrils. She bleated and whimpered softly, staring at him.

"Please, I didn't mean it!" she shouted.

"I told you to stay put!" the man roared, heading deeper into the room. He opened a door to the closet, searching through it. "You stupid little bitch! Do you like it when I look bad? Huh? _Do you?_"

"N-n-no!" Freja started crying when he grabbed a sleek leather belt. He threw the door shut and came toward her. She took off for the other end of the room, but the man whipped his belt. It licked her in arm, marking a red line on her skin. She screamed, tears flooding down her cheeks. "I-I d-didn't m-m-m-mean to!"

"You made me look like a fool! A fucking fool! Do you even think?" he screamed. He pointed in front of him. "Sit your damned self right here!" Freja crawled in the corner, holding her knees, shaking her head. "Come here, Freja! Don't make me come and get you!"

Freja burst into tears. The man huffed then marched over to her. He forced her to bend down, her bottom pointing towards him. He held back the belt then lashed her, the piercing sounds of the weapon repeating over and over again. Freja screamed, begging him to stop. He smiled at her pain and only whipped her harder, blood from her spilling on the floor. Slash marks showed through the bottom of her dress, blood staining the skirt. He pushed her over to continue striking her, this time on her arms. One thrash struck her in her face by accident, by her chin. The man smiled and shrugged off Freja's cries of torture. He did not notice the frosting walls behind him, nor the iciles hanging from the ceiling.

Once her arms had drops of blood flowing down her pale skin and she was out of cries and screams, the man dropped the imbrued belt, splatters of her blood on his cheeks and hands.

"Are you sorry?" he asked sweetly.

She nodded quickly, eyes bloodshot, shivering. "Yes..." Her voice was so strained from screaming that it was barely heard.

"Yes who?"

A lump appeared in her throat. "Yes, Papa..."

Elsa jumped out of the nightmare, tears swelling in her eyesight. She let go a trembling breath, wiping her tears before they escaped her eyes. She looked down beside her, where Freja slept tranquilly, wearing a fuzzy smile. Elsa hugged the girl as she laid back down, kissing her temple.

She would never go through that horrible harassment ever again.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	6. Nightmares

**A/N: Sorry, everyone, to the lack in updates, and for the update mixup last week. A family emergency occurred, so things haven't exactly been running smoothly for me. Though, I think I'll be able to get some work done this week, hopefully! More information (if you count that as more info) on my profile. Thank you, everyone, for being supportive and patient.**

******Hey, did you guys hear that Frozen won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Picture/Feature (whatever word they used)?! I'm so happy! Ooh, and according to the Disney chairman, we might see it on Broadway :3 Another reason that I don't own it, behold its magnificence.**

**********I combined the old chapter six and five. Big thanks to Bao Long for making me rethink about that and alot of things.**

**This chapter will be in dual Elsa/Freja POV, back and forth.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen; I only Freja, Johanna, and any other OC that is mentioned.**

* * *

~ Chapter Five ~

**Nightmares**

"The answer to five plus five is?"

"Ten, Miss Gerda." replied Freja. She slumped in her chair, swinging her legs back and forth.

"Five plus six?"

"Eleven, Miss Gerda..." She groaned the answer this time, becoming awfully bored with all the math problems. She knew how to _add. _Why did she have to learn it again? Why did she have to learn things that she already knew? She wanted to learn French. She wanted to learn how to jump rope. She wanted to learn how to write without it looking ugly. Why couldn't she learn neat handwriting?

It's not that Freja had a problem with learning, she just wanted to experience new things. She was living in a _castle _now for crying out loud! She wanted to run around and slide down the super-long railing and actually eat a meal for once! She wanted to play outside in the sunshine! She even wanted to play with the snowman Queen Elsa was talking about! More importantly, she wanted to spend more time with her new mother. Freja still personally felt that her powers weren't easy. One simple thought, and she could freeze Miss Gerda, her tutor. Although... that would be fun for a while.

"Five plus seven?" Gerda asked again, looking her straight in the eye.

Freja sighed, blowing blonde hair out from her face. "Twelve. Miss Gerda?"

"Yes?"

"Can we _stop_?"

"We just have to keep going until ten. Then, we have a lunch break."

Freja's eyes widened. "_Ten? _You mean, ten plus _ten_? That'll take all day!" she complained, pouting. She crossed her arms, looking down at her new shoes. They shined when the light from outside hit them. "I wanna see Queen Elsa. Please, Miss Gerda?"

Gerda gave her a sympathetic smile, holding her knee. "Her Majesty is in a Council meeting, Freja. You will see her after lunch."

Freja frowned, sliding down in her chair, her feet finally reaching the floor. She chose not to throw a tantrum, knowing it would be bad to act like that in front of such a nice lady. Besides, it wasn't her. She wanted to be quiet. She _needed _to be quiet. Her papa always told her to shut up. Her frown deepened as she looked down at her arms.

_What if Papa was still looking for me?_ she asked herself.

No. Freja couldn't think like that. He couldn't have. He left her. He abandoned her. He didn't want her. When her mother died, he blamed her. He tried to get rid of her. He beat her. If he wasn't beating her, he didn't want to touch her. He didn't even bathe her. Freja eventually learned how to bathe by herself, but it was hard due to the fact that he barely let her leave his sight. He cursed her. He used her. She never heard him say he loved her. Sometimes, when he finally fell asleep, he would think about what her mother would have done. Would she confront him for his wicked ways? Would she take Freja and leave him? Sometimes, Freja wished she had a real mama, but she had Queen Elsa, and that was the best thing close to a mother.

"Five plus eight?" Gerda questioned.

"_Thirteen, Miss Gerda_." Freja replied quietly, biting her lip afterward. She twirled one of her blonde locks around her finger.

*******~.-^-.~***

As much as Elsa hated to be out in the humidity and piercing sunlight, she had to clear her conscious of her dark thoughts. She hoped to receive answers pertaining to all the questions that lingered in her mind, leftovers from hearing part of Freja's story and going through with that horrid dream. She also needed answers to why Johanna never handed over the information fatal to Freja's well-being. She couldn't connect that with anything.

With a knock on the hardwood door of the orphanage, Johanna opened it swiftly. Her eyes bugged out once she dropped into a curtsey, paying her respects to the queen. Elsa smiled faintly, nodding.

"Y-Y-Your M-Majesty," Johanna sputtered, eyes still wide. She stood back up, straightening her skirt from wrinkles. "I-I didn't expect you to visit today." Shadows fell below her eyes and her red hair was mangled, either caused by the children or because of stress.

"Neither did I... but something came up." Elsa knew her answer was vague, but Johanna must have been familiar with the term. "May I come in?"

She nodded and stepped aside. The guards swept from left to right, separating so that the queen could pass. Elsa proceeded into the building, noticing that the aspects weren't as cheery as before. The children, once outspoken and eager, were now sullen and quiet. Not a toy was in their possession. Some read, other napped on the floor lazily. They did not greet her as before. They spoke in monotone, boring and blank. The bright colors in the room seemed to have disappeared or darkened along with the atmosphere, matching the children's moods.

"We can talk in my office," Johanna said. Elsa wasn't sure if it was a suggestion or a command. She simply followed the woman up the creaky stairs along with half of her congregation of guards.

Once upstairs, in the dim, gray hallways, three departed from the group to guard the office door when the two women entered and shut the door. Elsa took a seat in one of the chairs, guards on her sides and behind her. She watched Johanna plop into her wooden chair.

"What may I do for you, my queen?" Johanna asked, crossing her legs, faking a smile.

"It was brought to my attention that I was not given the full information needed to care for Freja," Elsa told her, trying to sound as professional as possible. "I was not given her medical records. Also, I do not recall receiving any explanation for the scars on her skin, or any depth to her background. You told me her parents were dead. I would like answers, Miss Hagen. I do not like the idea of being left in the dark when it comes to the well-being of my child." She heard that her voice was being raised, so she decided to lower it. She couldn't become worked up so fast.

"Your Majesty, the reason I did not hand over the child's medical records was because I could not find them," Johanna explained warily, playing with her thumbs. Elsa knew it was lie… or at least, she felt it was a lie, judging from how Johanna barely made eye-contact with her. Though, she didn't know if she was mentioning to towards before or after Anna stole them.

"As your queen, Miss Hagen, I suggest you tell me the truth." Elsa said surprisingly bluntly. "Why were the records not given to me?"

Johanna swallowed the lump in her throat, saying, "Truth be told, my queen, the child-"

"_Freja._" Elsa corrected sharply.

"_Freja_… has an awfully disturbing past. There's a very small part in her medical records about treating her scars and burn marks and a recommended sleep schedule, since there's a certain time of night when she receiving terrible nightmares. She talks in her sleep. Have you heard any of the things she says?" Elsa shook her head. "She screams and cries and begs for someone to stop hitting her. Then she bawls out for the mother she never knew, since her mother died in child labor. I'm surprised she hasn't woken you with this."

Elsa refused to express her shock to Johanna. It would only make her feel more guilty. "She falls asleep after nine."

"The bedtime here is eight. I recorded that around eight-thirty, she starts reliving her past, actually feeling like she was back in the situation. I think it's a traumatic side-effect, though I'm still not so sure." Johanna went ahead and explained the story Elsa already knew half of, but emphasizing it in vivid and gruesome detail. Elsa didn't know that Freja had a hard time adjusting to reading and writing once she came to Arendelle. Johanna also described the abnormally cold temperature of Freja's body, the icy setting the woods were in when she and her husband arrived, and how shy and fragile she was around the other children, leading them to shutting her out. She was now notified that Freja still had a hard time writing, but her reading had progressed fairly.

Johanna must have had a copy of the records, since she gave Elsa two papers similar to the ones Anna theft. Once Elsa left the building, she still wasn't sure of her view of Johanna as a person, questioning her mentally, but now realized she was a caring woman at heart, dedicated to taking care of the children she found.

*******~.-^-.~***

Freja fell exasperatedly on Elsa's bed. Her whole day was horrible. It was Elsa-less, filled with nothing but mathematics, learning how to properly write her name in cursive, the beginning of her etiquette and manner training, which she found useless, seeing that she wasn't a princess, and trying to become dainty and ladylike, which didn't seem likely, seeing how almost dropped everything she was given and "made music" when she chewed, as told to her by Gerda. Her arms hurt, her legs hurt, and her tummy wanted something that didn't taste yucky or fancy. Maybe a sandwich.

The door opened, and Elsa finally came in the room, looking just as exhausted as Freja felt. However, Freja perked up and ran to Elsa. She engulfed her in a bear hug, clinging to her waist, rubbing her cheeks against the silky, royal blue fabric of the queen's attire.

"You're finally here!" she exclaimed, grabbing fistfuls of her dress. "I was dying!"

"You were?" Elsa chuckled. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but Council meetings take a long time."

"But Miss Gerda said I would see you after lunchtime! It's suppertime!" she whined stubbornly. She caught herself, pardoning herself.

Elsa laughed, poking at her belly, making her laugh. "I'm very, _very _sorry. But the good news is, I have a surprise for you."

Freja's eyes widened, now jumping with excitement. "What is it?" she asked, grinning.

"Follow me." Elsa took Freja's hand, then led her out of the room.

*******~.-^-.~***

When Elsa took her hands off of Freja's face, she saw a sparkling glint in those sapphire eyes. Her smile practically stretched from both her ears. She didn't say anything. She didn't run inside to start playing. She turned around to wrap her arms around Elsa's waist, burying her face in her stomach. The fabric now felt damp with what was either sweat or tears... possibly both? Elsa smiled anyway, rubbing her back.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"_I love it,_" answered Freja from Elsa's stomach. She lifted her head. "I've never had my own room before."

The indigo walls had hand-painted snowflakes on them. "Icy" swirls entwined with the snowflakes, and every snowflake differed in size or pattern from the other. With the decorative walls aside, the room itself was simple with mahogany floorboards, a white ceiling, and a single triangle-shaped window, violet drapes hanging from the rod above. The bed was full-sized with light blue sheets and a white blanket. The canopy was cyan and translucent, stretching from the posts to the floor. A wooden brown chest sat at the foot of the bed, stocked with undergarments and undershirts. Across from the bed was a white vanity, complete with a shining mirror and rows of drawers, decorated with lavender rosemaling, matching the pattern on her door.

"So, are you still mad at me?" Elsa asked.

Freja shook her head, yawning lightly. "I was never mad at you, Queen Elsa." she answered in a groggy voice, the smile still on her face.

"Are you tired?" She nodded. "Will you be okay sleeping without me?" She nodded again, rubbing her eyes.

Since she was already clean and in her sleepwear, Elsa brought her to her new bed, then tucked her inside. She made sure she was comfortable inside the sheets. Freja's hair spilled on the pillow as she rubbed her cheek against it, smiling. She shut her eyes.

"_Thank you..._" she whispered. Elsa bent down and kissed her pale cheek.

***~.-^-.~***

_It's a dream, _Freja thought, _just a dream._

But it was more than a dream. It was a memory. A horrible memory.

She was walking back home from the nearby market, since Papa gave her money to buy him flatbread and codfish for his afternoon meal. It took her a while to find her way from home to the market, since Papa didn't instruct her properly, but she wouldn't dare to tell him that, seeing that it could end in another whipping. His belt was already falling apart since last time, so he knew to beat her harder in order to break it, then he could get the slick leather one he wanted.

Freja stepped into the "house" through the curtains, holding the brim of her basket tightly. Her father was putting on his work clothes. She said nothing to him as he gave him the basket meekly. He studied it, then took the basket from her.

"You finally did something right," he grumbled, taking out the flatbread. She stared as she watched him eat it. She couldn't remember the last time she ate. Maybe a week ago she had the scrapes of his dinner, then some water from the pond outside, but that was it. Her stomach growled, drawing his attention.

He glared at her. "You're not getting any. You've done your work. Just go clean yourself up. You look disgusting."

Freja frowned, looking down at her little tainted hands. She found herself getting awfully dirty when she didn't do anything. She just nodded again. She carefully maneuvered around him to go get another dress from the closet. She reached for the cloth from her pocket and headed outside. She met the pond. As she stripped free of her garments, she felt embarrassed by her body.

It was covered in healing scabs, scars, red blotches, and dirt. She sucked in her breath as she came in contact with the cold water. She cleared her mind, not thinking of anything, knowing what would happen. The natural water soon became filthy as she cleaned up.

Trying to ignore this, Freja started to hum a song she had heard at the market. It was lovely, made up of a tritone. She kept repeating the rhyhm as she washed her hair, since she had left before the woman could finish playing.

Her father must have heard her.

He came out from the house, yelling, "You can't keep quiet for one minute, can you?" She instantly hushed and ringed her hair. She didn't breathe when she saw he had the belt in his hands. "I'm trying to organize myself for work, and all I hear is you and your horrific music!"

"I-it's not mine..." she whispered.

He slashed her arm, making her cry. "That's for lying, Freja!"

"B-b-but, P-Papa, it's- it's not m-mine!" she stammered. Surely he knew she meant that the tune didn't belong to her.

Apparently not.

"Stop fucking lying!" he roared, hitting her again. He hit her once more, making one part of the leather belt fly off. He growled then used his hands to slap her. "Say you're sorry, you useless bitch!"

"I-I-I'm sorry!"

"Say it _louder_!" he screamed.

"I-I-I-I-" He punched her in her face. She fell into tears in the polluted water. "I'm sorry, P-P-Papa!"

***~.-^-.~***

Elsa heard screaming and crying in the next room. She made out the words and cries, knowing who it was and why. She immediately rose and rushed toward Freja's room. Guards were already positioned around her, looking for any sign of injury or break-in. Elsa sighed, fastening her robe and making her way through them. She sat by Freja's side, hugging her, wiping her tears. She shushed her, and soon after, she stopped crying. She whimpered as she fell into Elsa's chest.

"Don't worry," cooed Elsa into her ear. "We're going to find whoever did this to you..."

And she wasn't joking. The next morning, Elsa cited the appearance of the man she saw in her dream and made a decree that whoever saw or knew this man would have to hand him in to the guards to be questioned and if not, locked away. The guards started the search for the man she described. The captain ordered a group of men to split up and ask around the kingdom, and another group to search outside the kingdom. She knew she could feel secure by her guards, but she had a feeling that this man was long-gone, despite the possibilities.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


	7. Baby Steps

**A/N: GAH! I know, I haven't updated in a while. Bear with me, guys, I'm going to explore some new things coming up. And don't think I forgot about that dream-thing, I'm deciphering that slowly.**

**Disclaimer: Frozen doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

~ Chapter Six ~

**Baby Steps**

Now that she cleared her mind of last night and every piece of drama before, Elsa felt some relief come to her. One problem was settling itself slowly, and that was enough for her. She now realized that there was still so much more to be done. Yes, confronting people who deceived her and tracking the people who enacted harm to her child were important parts, but there was simply milestones. If she wanted to be a good mother, like her own mother had been to her, she had to try a little harder to make an effort to spend time and bond with her child. No child should be neglected or left alone. Especially with a past like that.

With a little shifting, she was able to convince Gerda that she wanted to teach Freja for the day. When she walked into the parlor, Freja grinned, facing her instead of the long, polished table. Elsa seated herself beside her, leaving the book and papers on her lap.

"Today will be different," she told her, as if it wasn't obvious. "First, we're going to practice our handwriting. We'll go over some historical studies and I'll revise you on them. We'll start _subtracting _instead of adding, and maybe at the end, we'll practice some magic, you know, in the lightly guarded gardens." She ended her explanation offhandedly, shuffling through the clean sheets of paper.

Freja's grin faltered. She played with her thumbs. "But there will still be people..." she trailed off. She eyed the edge of the table. "I-I don't think I'm ready for that. I was so scared last time..." Elsa frowned as she watched her slump down in her chair, indirectly staring at her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," Elsa quickly tried to reconcile with her, knowing that an argument was the last thing she needed. "We can do something else, if you would like."

Freja nodded. "After today's lesson, can you show me to the library?"

Elsa smiled again. "Of course. Now..." She flipped through the papers and set a fresh one in front of Freja. "It all depends on the way you curve the quill, not how hard you press on the paper. Look." She took the quill between her fingers and lightly pressed it against the parchment. She used her knowledge of calligraphy to make a perfect 'E' on the paper, followed by lowercase 'l,' 's,' and 'a.'

Freja asked, "How do you make a 'j' in script?"

Elsa made a dot on the paper, connecting it with a curvy line up she also made. She continued the line down, but not too much so that she could curve the line to her left. Her steps may have been odd, but her message was well-received. When it was her turn, Freja took the quill and made a shaky 'F,' along with the other letters in her name. All the letters were crooked or out of place, but her penmanship had potential.

They worked on her letters a bit more, then proceeded into writing other words. Elsa wrote the name of something in the room, and Freja mimicked the word, trying her best to make it look like the original.

After a two-column list was completed, Elsa complimented Freja on her corporation, but it seemed as if she had reformed back into her meek self, doubting that she would ever get better. Encouraging her didn't seem to be working. It was funny. At first, Freja was coy and quiet, then she loosened up, becoming slightly comfortable in her new surroundings, but now she was regressing back to her old state. She wondered why. She couldn't understand how one child could switch their moods so quickly.

The rest of the lesson went along smoothly. The two were able to go over the origins of Arendelle without interruption. Freja recited what she heard, but she stuttered and fumbled with some of it. She gave a soft giggle. Elsa smiled.

"You'll get better," she told her, cupping her hand on her knee.

"If you say so," Freja sang, shrugging, a playful hint in her voice. "It's really confusing to remember things about vikings and battles and fairies-"

"I _never _said anything about _fairies._"

Elsa pulled her into an embrace, punishing her for lying by tickling her neck and poking her slim belly. Freja laughed uncontrollably, squeezing her eyes shut and wheezing. Remembering of her asthma, Elsa stopped to give her a chance to breathe. Freja caught her breath.

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked cautiously, facing her. Freja nodded. "Please tell me that I shouldn't do that."

"But it was fine..."

"I don't want anything happening to you." she said in a stern voice. Freja nodded solemnly, eyes on the ground. Elsa sighed, holding the little girl's wrists loosely, frowning. "I'm sorry. It's just that... I know about... your father."

Freja looked up quickly, her eyes becoming glossy. "What do you know about him?"

"I know that he used to beat you... He yelled at you and blamed you for the most ludicrous things..." Freja tilted her head. "Meaning foolish." She nodded, understanding. "And after hearing about all of that, I don't want anything bad to happen to you ever again. No one deserves to be blamed for their mother's death, or treated unjustly by their own father." Elsa reached out and touched Freja's cheek. "I promise I will never take my anger out on you."

Freja nodded once again. "I love you... Elsa."

It wasn't 'Mama,' but it wasn't 'Queen Elsa' either. Elsa knew it would take her a while to gain that status, but she would work for it. It was a start. She pulled her into a hug. While she had Freja pressing against her chest, she kissed her small nose, saying, "I love you, too."

Someone knocked on the parlor doors. Elsa granted them access to come in, still holding Freja close to her. Anna came into the parlor, hands behind her back. She smiled when she saw Freja, then tapped her shoulder. Freja departed from Elsa's hug to look up at Anna.

"Hi!" Anna said, waving. "It feels like I haven't seen you in days!"

Freja's raised eyebrows faltered and she frowned. "Sorry." she said under her breath.

Anna shook her head, kneeling down. "No, no, I didn't mean to accuse you. It- it was an expression. I mean, I saw you yesterday at lunch, remember? I knew you were caught up and all with lessons and stuff. I didn't mean-"

"Anna. I'm sure she gets it." Elsa said, ending her sister's babbling. Freja nodded, fixing her sad expression back into a happy one.

"Oh... okay!" Anna got up. "What are you doing?"

"Learning." Freja answered, playing with the feathers on the quill pen she was holding. She blew on them.

"No, sweetie, don't play with that," Elsa said softly, gently taking the pen away from her. Anna looked smugly at Elsa, biting her lip. Elsa stared at her quizzically. "Yes, Anna?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Nothing, nothing... It's just that you make a natural mother..." she told her, smiling.

Elsa didn't think twice about the statement. She didn't know _exactly _what Anna meant by "natural mother." She simply wanted to give Freja the attention and love she deserved. It was a repetitive goal, but the message was clear.

"Thank you," she responded with a nod, unsure of how what else to say.

"Why did I come here again?" Anna paused to think. "Oh! Gerda wanted to talk to you about... something. Ugh, sorry I don't remember."

"It's fine," Elsa told her. She faced Freja, cupping her hands over hers. "I'll be right back, okay?" She nodded. Elsa rose and turned to Anna now. "Watch her and don't get into any trouble, please."

"We're not going to get into any _trouble. _Relax."

Elsa gave her a look before exiting the room. She found Gerda folding sheets in the servants' quarters. She curtseyed before the queen. Elsa smiled awkwardly, still wondering what Gerda wanted to dicuss with her. Was Freja lacking in her schoolwork? Was she misbehaving behind closed doors? Did she show lack of interest?

"Your Majesty," Gerda said. "I have to talk to you about Freja."

Elsa masked her worry, trying to channel inner peace. She had her powers tamed, but there was still the slight chance that they could appear when she was in distress. She said cooly, "Yes, I understand."

"I think being cooped up here in the castle isn't very healthy for a young girl, especially one who hasn't had much _friendly _experience with children her age, so I am told. Correct me if I am wrong, Your Majesty." Elsa shook her head. The only thing Elsa wondered was where Gerda got her information from. "Well, I propose that, with your permission, of course, we take her to the summer festival next week, so that she can become familiar with the other children in the kingdom, besides those at Miss Hagen's orphanage."

Elsa paused. She didn't have a problem with Freja mingling with other children. She wanted her daughter to become familiar with other faces, not just those of the servants in the castle, along with Kristoff and Anna. But could Freja really handle being around so many people at once? Her shyness only came when she was uncomfortable around people, so she would surely be bashful at a festival.

"I will have to get back to you on that..." Elsa finally said, unsure of what to say. It would be wrong make arrangements behind Freja's back.

* * *

_**Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath**_


End file.
